Food Fight: GMOs and the Future of the American Diet

“There are no easy answers to questions about genetically modified foods, but environmental journalist Jenkins lays out the promise and the peril of the contemporary industrialization of food production. Jenkins chronicles his interviews with scientists, farmers, and activists across the country in his exploration of the safety of genetically modified organisms, their sustainability, their potential to feed a booming world population, and the hazards posed by the accompanying system of industrialized agriculture that is wiping out small farms. Impressive research into a complex situation presented in a highly readable form” — Kirkus

“Jenkins, a professor of English, journalism, and environmental humanities at the University of Delaware, outlines many of the arguments for and against genetically modified organisms in this accessible volume on global food supplies and everyday diets. Highlighting the pros and cons of this contentious topic, Jenkins gives conscientious readers plenty to chew on.” — Publishers Weekly

In the past two decades, GMOs have come to dominate the American diet. Advocates hail them as the future of food, an enhanced method of crop breeding that can help feed an ever-increasing global population and adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Critics, meanwhile, call for their banishment, insisting GMOs were designed by overeager scientists and greedy corporations to bolster an industrial food system that forces us to rely on cheap, unhealthy, processed food so they can turn an easy profit. In response, health-conscious brands such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have started boasting that they are “GMO-free,” and companies like Monsanto have become villains in the eyes of average consumers. Where can we turn for the truth? Are GMOs an astounding scientific breakthrough destined to end world hunger? Or are they simply a way for giant companies to control a problematic food system? Food Fight offers a deep look at the science, history, politics and health and environmental battles over one of the most important (and invisible) components of our industrial food system. Published by Avery Press, a division of PenguinRandomHouse.